A typical surgical scalpel blade is designed to be detachably attached to a surgical scalpel handle and comprises a cutting edge which culminates in a point. This point is extremely dangerous due to the sharpness thereof and oftentimes, during, for example, a transfer between the surgeon and the nurse, the tip is inadvertently caused to penetrate the flesh of either. Similarly, hasty reactions by the surgeon and the assistants after inadvertent vessel wall injury and subsequent bleeding can cause scalpel injury. In this instance, quick reaction time by the surgical team to control hemorrhaging is associated with scalpel lacerations. It is assumed by the lay person that such accidents are unavoidable as the sharp tip of the scalpel blade is essential to the cutting for which the scalpel is designed. This assumption, however, is erroneous.
Scalpel blades are designed to cut due to a backward drawing motion of the sharp edge of the scalpel against the surface to be cut. The curved belly of the scalpel blade makes its cutting motion unique. The preferred method of incising the skin is with the belly of the blade, although, some surgeons prefer to use, exclusively, the point of the blade. Thereafter, the belly of the blade does nearly all the sharp dissection of the underlying soft-tissue. Scalpels, which are controlled by finger motion, are not used in conjunction with stabbing or hacking motions as is the case with hand-held knives. Thus, the tip of the scalpel can be modified to prevent the point from inadvertently stabbing hospital personnel without compromising its cutting ability. At the same time, however, the modification must be one that does not prevent the drawing of the blade necessary to make an incision by creating substantial drag or resistance. Although innovations have been made in surgical scalpels to decrease handling of the sharp blades during the changing thereof, Applicant surprisingly found that no attempts to increase the safety of the scalpel during its use were previously made by improving the design of surgical scalpel blade tips, by modifying the shape of the cutting surface belly, by shielding the tip, or by changing the angle thereof. Nor had anyone previously created a top finger or clamp gripping surface on the blade.